Transmigrating to the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty: Becoming a Great Emperor Through Idlene

On the third day of the second month of the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, at Ninghe Hall in the Western Garden.

As the firelight in the kiln grew dimmer, Johann Adam Schall von Bell made the sign of the cross on his chest. This was the thirty-seventh firing.

The first thirty-six attempts were unsuccessful. Some of the semi-finished glass pieces cracked, some became cloudy, and the best result was just a translucent green lump.

"Open the kiln."

At his command, two apprentices used iron hooks to pull open the kiln door. A wave of heat rushed out, and although the temperature inside the kiln was still very high, the shapes of a row of molds could still be seen.

After waiting for more than ten minutes until the temperature dropped slightly, Johann Adam Schall von Bell personally put on thick cotton gloves and reached inside. He gently took out the first mold, which contained…

A transparent crystal.

Despite some bubbles around the edges and some flocculent impurities in the center, it was still transparent. Through it, one could clearly see the apprentice's surprised face behind him.

"It's done!" an apprentice couldn't help but shout.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell's hands began to tremble. He gently patted the iron frame and took out a glass plate about two feet square. It was about half an inch thick and quite heavy, weighing at least twenty pounds.

But it was flat, transparent, and the first truly flat glass.

"Quickly, go and report to His Majesty!" His voice trembled.

Excited heart, shaking hands!

When Wang Chengen arrived, Tang Ruowang had already placed the glass plate on a specially made wooden frame and wiped it clean with a soft cloth.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, refracting through the glass and leaving bright spots on the floor.

"Mr. Tang, His Majesty has arrived."

When Chongzhen entered, the first thing he saw was the glass. He strode over and gently stroked its surface with his fingers; it was warm, slightly rough, yet undeniably real glass.

"How thick?"

"Half an inch." Johann Adam Schall von Bell handed over a caliper, a measuring tool specially made according to Chongzhen's requirements, with an accuracy of 10 centimeters.

Emperor Chongzhen took the calipers and carefully measured several areas. The thickness was uneven, with the thickest part being six-tenths of an inch and the thinnest part four-tenths of an inch. But in this day and age, it could already be called a miracle.

"What about the impurities?"

"It's mainly iron," said Johann Adam Schall von Bell, pointing to the brown flocculent material in the middle of the glass. "The iron in the quartz sand wasn't completely purified. There are also air bubbles; the annealing speed was too fast."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded. This was expected. Without modern purification processes and precise temperature control, producing such glass already far exceeded the technological level of the time.

He walked to the table, picked up a charcoal pencil, and began to draw on the prepared white paper.

Tang Ruowang curiously leaned closer. He saw that the emperor had drawn two circles, one thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, and the other thinner in the middle and thicker at the edges. They were connected by a line, and there were some strange symbols around them.

"This is……"

"The combination of convex and concave lenses," Chongzhen said without looking up. "A convex lens focuses light, but the image will be distorted. After adding a concave lens for correction, a clear and magnified image can be obtained. The distance, curvature, and material between the two lenses must be calculated precisely."

Johann Adam Schall von Bell's eyes widened. He was knowledgeable in optics; he had studied Galileo's telescope principles. But how could the emperor know all this? And how could the drawing be so accurate, even taking into account the effect of lens curvature?

"Your Majesty... how do you know the principles behind Galileo's telescope?" he finally couldn't help but ask.

Chongzhen stopped what he was doing. He thought to himself, "Oh no, I let it slip."

He continued drawing with a calm expression: "This is what I received in a dream. The Great Ancestor said that there is a strange technology in the West that can be used to observe subtle things from afar, which can help me govern the country."

It was another dream from the founding emperor. Johann Adam Schall von Bell was skeptical, but dared not ask further. The emperor's recent anxieties had numbed him.

"Can you do it?" Chongzhen asked after putting down the charcoal pencil after finishing the drawing.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell examined the blueprints carefully: "A convex lens is easy to make; it's just a magnifying glass, something I've done before. A concave lens... requires special processing and manufacturing equipment. Moreover, the lens must be uniform, otherwise the image will be distorted."

What tools do we need?

"A kind of...frame that can hold the lens blank in place and precisely adjust the angle." Johann Adam Schall von Bell gestured to the famous point: "It also needs diamond grit of different coarseness, from coarse to fine. The most important thing is measurement; the curvature of the lens must be consistent."

Chongzhen thought for a moment and said, "Go to the Ministry of Works. Tell them that I want to make a batch of crystal ware as a reward, and I need people to polish the mirrors. Select the best ones with clean backgrounds and send them here."

"Yes." Johann Adam Schall von Bell hesitated for a moment. "Your Majesty, what is this piece of glass... used for?"

Emperor Chongzhen gazed at the glass plate gleaming in the sunlight and slowly said, "Let's do two things first. First, make a telescope according to this blueprint. The telescope tube should be made of brass and be adjustable. Second, cut several small pieces of glass to make observation windows, which will be used as sights for muskets and eyepieces for measuring instruments."

"Observation window?" Johann Adam Schall von Bell had never heard of this term before.

Chongzhen walked to the glass plate and gestured on it with his finger: "A square of this size, ground flat, can be inlaid into a copper frame. Archers can use it to improve the accuracy of their shots, and it can be mounted on a musket. Placing a measuring instrument on it will make the readings clearer."

Johann Adam Schall von Bell understood. He transformed the theoretical function of glass into a practical one. Although each piece was small, its significance was immense.

"Your Majesty... understands."

"Furthermore," Chongzhen added, "the firing process must be kept secret. The ingredient ratios, temperature control, and annealing time should only be known to you and your most trusted assistant. The glass formula is a state secret."

"I swear in the name of my lord that I will never reveal this."

After nodding, Chongzhen glanced at the glass again, then turned and left.

After leaving Ninghe Hall, he looked up at the sky. In early February in Beijing, the sky was very blue, and the clouds were thin. With binoculars, one could see very far.

Only by seeing far can you go further.

same day.

Yikun Palace

Consort Tian smashed the third teacup. The fine Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain shattered on the floor.

"Why?!" Her chest heaved with anger. "Zhou Kui can open a trading company, but my father can't? We're both related to the imperial family, so why should His Majesty treat us differently?"

All the palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

Consort Tian, ​​whose given name was Xiuying, was twenty-two years old this year and was selected to enter the palace in the second year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

She was very beautiful, with willow-leaf eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and skin as white as porcelain.

He was skilled in music, calligraphy, and painting, and was greatly favored by Emperor Chongzhen when he first entered the palace.

But that was in the past.

Since Empress Zhou gave birth to a prince last year, her position has become somewhat precarious. The emperor visits Yikun Palace less and less often, and the gifts he bestows upon her have become increasingly ordinary.